


Walk Me Home

by arcana



Category: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcana/pseuds/arcana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Gau!"<br/>Was that his first name? No one at school calls him anything but “Meguro-kun”, he isn’t sure people even remember his first name here, so who would be calling out to him using that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walk Me Home

**Author's Note:**

> the greatest thing about writing is that you can write for otps whose tags never update  
> i wrote this entire thing from gau's pov when i can probably write raikou better it was weird.

Going back to school for Gau is _weird_. After months of being a high school drop-out, fighting for his life more than half the time, having to sit in a chair for hours on end surrounded by people who had no intention of killing him is… really something. Not bad, definitely not bad, but. Something. Not to put himself on a high horse, but it’s comforting knowing how, well, ignorant of the world everyone around him is. They knew nothing of the world of Nabari. His friends knew nothing of what he had been doing in his “time away.” And none of them knew anything of what it was to die. 

Well. Almost die. He had been in a coma, at least.

Needless to say, Gau has developed something of a superiority complex. He does appreciate his classmates though, and he’s kind of jealous, too. Their only worry right now is when the next bell is going to be.

Which would happen to be now, actually, signaling for the end of their school day. Gau lets out a little sigh of relief despite himself. Huh. Maybe he’s readjusting better than he thought.

To be honest, Gau doesn't have much to be worrying about these days either. Most of the conflict from his other life doesn't leak into this one, and most of it got resolved a while ago anyway. All he really has to think about about as he walks out the front doors of his school is what he’s making for dinner tonight. 

Oh. That’s kind of a big thing, isn’t it? He hopes Raikou-san and Raimei will be able to settle for something easy tonight. Raimei might understand, just because she’s back in school too, but they could both be extremely pigheaded when they wanted something bad enough. Idly, he wonders if food is something they’d argue with him about. He winces. They almost surely would. Well, Raikou-san would, maybe even just to tease him. Luckily enough, Gau has a good amount of homework and studying to do tonight, and he has no qualms with using that as means of escape. If he acts seriously enough, he’s sure Raikou-san would let him off the hook.

“Gau!” 

Was that his first name? No one at school calls him anything but “Meguro-kun”, he isn’t sure people even remember his first name here, so who would be calling out to him using _that_? 

“Gau!” Out of the corner of his eye, Gau sees a flash of pink. His heart rate spikes, but not for any lovey-dovey reason at all.

If Raikou-san is here, at his school, then something must be wrong, right? Raikou-san has work; he wouldn't skip out on that for just anything. Did something happen? Was Raimei okay? Was everyone else okay? Gau picks up his pace as he makes his way over, eyes taking in anything that could denote something being off. Raikou-san’s posture was relaxed, shoulders loose and weight resting more on his right foot and hand raised in greeting. Gau had had to learn early on, though, that appearances didn't mean anything. He had seen Raikou-san kill people while looking utterly unbothered, and if he could pull of something like that, he would definitely be able to hide something from Gau until he was close enough to talk about it. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gau registers the lack of motor vehicle anywhere near Raikou-san. That, at the very least, is a relief.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Being out of the harsher line of work has dulled Gau’s sense of subtlety, sure, but he’s pretty sure everyone within earshot is strictly a student. If something really is wrong, though, he’s going to have to retrain himself in the art of cautiousness. It probably isn't good that he’d already become so slack with the rules. Regardless of whatever situations that had been resolved, he _is_ still part of the world of Nabari, and—

“Of course, why wouldn't it be?” Raikou-san looked taken aback, but that appeared to be the only thing out of place. He wasn't using the tone he used when they had something to deal with, and at that Gau felt himself relax a bit. “I only came to pick you up.”

“Pick me…” Gau repeats. He looks up, confused, into Raikou-san’s face. The other man seems honest. “Don’t you have work?”

“My hours got changed. I figured it’d be nice to walk you home.” He gives Gau one of his smiles, one of his special smiles, and Gau may or may not swoon. 

“If you’re sure, Raikou-san…”

The other man gives an enthusiastic nod, and they start off towards home. It’s not a long walk, but it’s not too short either, so it gives them time to talk. Gau usually enjoys the walk home by himself with his own thoughts, but he supposes that having company once in a while isn’t the worst thing that has happened to him in his lifetime.

At one point, when Gau’s rambling about how much work he has and how Raikou-san and Raimei should just please settle on something simple to eat for tonight, please, he’s got an essay to type and math problems to work through, Raikou-san laughs and places his hand in Gau’s, squeezing it just so and telling Gau that he’d have him make his delicious curry another night.

Gau feels his face heat up but squeezes back in thanks, anyway.

 

Gau’s good mood lasts through the night and into the next week. It’s marred, slightly, by Raikou-san not being there in the mornings when he wakes up, having apparently left early for work according to Raimei. Gau figures he’ll see him when he gets home, though, so it isn’t too big a deal. 

He does realise he’s being kind of floaty through his classes (though his notes are impeccable as always) but he can’t really help it. Even though they don’t do more than hold hands, walking home every day with Raikou-san makes him feel happy. He misses the kisses, but if it’s for Raikou-san’s work, then he doesn’t mind. 

He feels good as ever making his way outside for lunch. He meets up every day with a couple of his friends from before he’d stopped coming to school. They’d welcomed him back like it hadn't been months on end since he’d just up and left, and for that he was grateful.

They talk about inconsequential things, tests coming up, the latest gossip, and Gau gives his input when he deems it necessary. This all goes on fine until one of them nudges his shoulder. 

“Meguro-kun, you’ve been extra smiley today. What’s up?”

“He’s been like that since last week,” another chimes in. “Did something good happen?”

“Not that I can think of?” True and false at the same time, since Raikou-san was something good that _kept_ happening. Like he could say that to his friends, though. Not exactly loving the spotlight on him, Gau says, “But about that history teacher…”

“Nu-uh!” the first one interrupts. “You are not changing the subject on us! You’re definitely different today.” He sighs. Maybe they’d leave him alone if he had food in his mouth. 

“Could it have anything to do with that pink haired person you walk home with every day?” Gau freezes around a bite of his sandwich. “Ooh, it is, isn’t it!” His friend leans toward him. “Who are they? I only ever see you guys from behind, but you walk pretty close.”

“Oh, does Meguro-kun have a girlfriend?”

“No, I—”

“Dying her hair, too, that’s exotic, for you anyway! I always thought you’d settle with someone more plain.”

“Guys—”

“What did you _do_ while you were away, man?”

“It’s not like that!” he finally gets out. “That was just… a friend. Nothing special, really.” That hurt to say a bit. Raikou Shimizu was definitely something special.

“Then why won’t you tell us about them,” his friend whines. Gau hopes the bell will ring soon.

“There’s nothing to tell!” he insists. Nothing that they’d want to hear, anyway. This is a rare moment he’s willing to spend not talking about Raikou-san, and his classmates would take it if they knew. Looking around his little circle revealed nothing but pouts. They all look interested. Gau is weak.

“Listen, guys—” he started, but is cut off by the bell. He’s sure it’s a sign. 

Gau hops up from his place and onto his feet, quickly throwing out a “see you later” and rushing off to his next class. No one brings it up again that day, thankfully, so he leaves his last class the same way he does every day before.

Today, he sees the pink before it has a chance to call out to him. 

“Again.” he says as he approaches. Realising how that must sound, he tries to add, “Not that I don’t want you here, not at all, I just mean—”

Raikou-san just laughs. “My hours got changed, so I might as well make the most of them, right?” He holds out his hand when Gau nods in understanding. “Shall we?”

Gau is so, so tempted to take it. They’re still at school, though, and there are so many people…

“Meguro-kun!” Gau’s eyes widen and he almost turns around, but at the last second he decides it’d be better to pretend he hadn't just heard his friend call out to him from however far away she was. 

“Yup!” Gau says, grabbing hold of Raikou-san’s hand and pulling him along. They walk as swiftly as they can while still avoiding any suspicion, and Gau is glad they don’t hear his name again.

“What was that about?” Raikou-san asks, crushing any hopes that Gau had of him not noticing. He’ll just have to try to play it off.

“Nothing.” His tone doesn't leave room for much argument, and for once, Raikou-san lets it go.

It’s not until later that he actually thinks about it. He’s done with his homework and he has no test to study for in the near future, leaving him lying in his bed, completely alone with his thoughts. Gau doesn't know why, but for some reason he had pretty much run away today. He isn't an idiot, and he knows he gets jealous easily, but Raikou-san wouldn't leave him for just anybody. Some random high school kid wouldn't do it for him. 

Granted, Gau himself was once “some random high school kid.” But he was _different_.

Gau turns onto his side, tucking himself further into the covers. He is positive he has nothing to worry about, and he will not lose sleep over his own overactive imagination.

 

And he did not, in fact, lose sleep over that. However, he _did_ lose sleep over a loud bang coming from somewhere outside his room. Groaning, Gau looks to the clock on his nightstand. He huffs as it reads a sole half hour before his normal alarm goes off. There’s really no point in going back to sleep, then. 

The floor is cold when he slips out from underneath his cocoon of a bed, and he wishes he had brought slippers in here with him. Gau pads out of the room barefoot towards the source of the noise, the kitchen apparently, and finds Raikou-san trying to clean up water from the floor with bunches of paper towel when the dish rag was _right there_.

“What’d you do?” Gau yawns, and Raikou-san looks up from his soaked and useless attempt at cleaning, startled. Walking over to help him, Gau drags the rag off its hanger and and joins Raikou-san on the floor. 

“I dropped the pot I was using to boil eggs…” He says, slowly. “Why are you up so early?”

“You dropped the pot you were using to boil eggs.”

Raikou-san chuckles. “Ah.”

Gau deals with the mess in seconds, rings the towel out in the sink and places it back on its hanger. “When do you leave?” He asks, leaning against the counter. 

“I have another ten minutes.” Raikou-san walks over and kisses him on the cheek. He pulls back and makes as though he’ll go to get something from the fridge, but reconsiders and comes right back to Gau, kissing him for real this time. 

For his part, Gau is still half-asleep, the kiss surprising him for a moment. Raikou-san moves his face away from Gau’s but he doesn't leave his personal bubble. He’s smiling _that_ smile, the one that’s soft and loving with his eyes a little narrowed like he is almost amused. Gau is really weak. “What about breakfast?” 

“I can eat later.” With that careless reply, he comes back in for more. Gau is prepared this time, bringing his hands up to lightly rest against Raikou-san’s chest and curling his fingers just slightly for leverage. It’s not heated by any means, just little morning kisses that had been sorely missed in the past week. Raikou-san’s hand comes to sit right at the small of his back; Gau thinks he’d rather have this than have Raikou-san walk him home every day. 

“Get a room,” drawls in from the direction of the kitchen’s entrance, opening the fridge and getting her own day started. Gau jerks back, away from Raikou-san and face burning. Sure, Raimei’s caught them like this numerous times already, but that doesn't mean he feels any less embarrassed. 

Raikou-san just sighs. “We could, you know,” he points out. 

Gau burns even brighter and slaps him on the arm. “I have _school_.”

At that, he laughs. “I probably shouldn't skip work, either.” He gives Gau one final kiss on the cheek and leaves him to grab something to get him through until lunch. Gau takes the first full, awake breath he’s breathed all morning. 

Since he’s already in the kitchen, he might as well eat. With three of them all crowded in one space, it’s a little hard to move around, but it’s not bad by any means, and Gau realises he really has missed this. It felt like a reassurance, kind of. Holding hands every day is great and all, but he was affectionate, and so was Raikou-san, and now that he thinks about it, Gau’s sure he’d be willing to sacrifice walking home with company for waking up with company any day.

Raikou-san leaves the kitchen first, saying over his shoulder that he’d see them both after school. Gau hesitates only a moment before calls out after him. “You should see about getting your hours changed back, Raikou-san!”

He only glances back for a second, but Gau can still see the smile on his lips. “I’ll do my best.”

**Author's Note:**

> halfway through writing this i changed the plot i'm sorry if it didn't make sense


End file.
